


I must down to the seas again

by azziria



Series: I must down to the seas again [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M, Selkie!fic, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-28
Updated: 2011-03-28
Packaged: 2017-10-17 08:25:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/174850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azziria/pseuds/azziria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A promise kept.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I must down to the seas again

**Author's Note:**

> A bittersweet little selkie!ficlet spawned by Bluespirit-star’s [post](http://bluespirit-star.livejournal.com/590086.html) on the difference between a seal and a SEAL. Wikipedia says that a selkie can only make contact with one particular human for a short amount of time before they must return to the sea.

  


”Open the door for me,” he says, voice a feeble echo of its former bluster, “I want to hear the sea.”

She opens the door to the balcony, wedges it ajar so it won’t slam shut again in the warm sea breeze. It’s getting dark out, dusk falling fast in the tropical way. He may not see the sun again, she knows, the doctor says it will be tonight, or tomorrow, no more than that. Her heart hurts, she’s not ready to lose him yet, to imagine a life without him in it. “Don’t cry, Monkey,” he says, and she has to lean in close to catch his whisper, “You’ve got Paul, and the boys, you’ll be OK, promise me.” And she does promise him, fights back the tears because she doesn’t want him to see her cry. Yes, she’ll be OK, they raised her well, him and her mother, for all their disagreements, and Paul is a good man, but he’s her father, her Danno, and there’ll never be another to take his place.

”I’ll get you some water,” she says, to hide the sadness that’s overwhelming her, and goes along the landing to the bathroom. She’s only gone a few minutes, just long enough to run her fingers through her hair and compose herself, but when she gets back something’s different, she knows immediately. She smells the sea, a wild, salt tang, and there’s a dark shape kneeling at her father’s bedside. She opens her mouth to yell, to call Paul, but then… “Grace? Gracie?” The words sound strange, unpractised, but she’d know him anywhere, even after all these years. “He called me, Grace. He called to me,” and the light from the hallway glitters off tears springing in those dark eyes.

”I know,” she says, softly, “I understand. There was never anyone else, you know, not in all those years,” and he looks at her long, then nods and turns back to her father, lifting his hand from where it lies on the coverlet. Her father stirs, in the half-dark she can see his smile. “You came,” he says, and she hears the answer, “I promised, didn’t I?” and suddenly she’s the intruder, and she turns away, walks out of the room and down the stairs to where life waits for her, Paul, and the boys, and the things that will go on.

”Do you want me to go and sit with him?” Paul asks, but she says no, he’s OK, he’s resting, and Paul gathers her in and holds her tight awhile.

Eventually she hears the balcony door creak, and she climbs the stairs slowly, knowing what she’ll find. The room is empty, no sign of their visitor except the drying trail of salt water leading to and from the balcony doorway. She looks down at her father lying in the bed. He’s smiling, looks happy and at peace, but he’s gone, too.

She crosses the room to look out at the ocean, hears the splash of the waves against the shore, and for a moment imagines... but then she shakes her head, closes the door and makes her way downstairs again, to call the doctor, call the undertaker, to begin everything that has to happen next.


End file.
